The mugginess of the past several days takes a small step back today and Friday. But over the weekend, while the heat eases, it turns more humid and shower and storm chances increase. These showers could occur at almost any time, so keep an eye on the radar and your umbrellas close at hand. There should still be dry patches to get out and enjoy.

Today (Thursday): Variable cloud cover today. Drier air from the northwest lowers humidity some, but a cold front tracking through may trigger a shower or storm late in the afternoon or early in the evening. Highs are mainly in the mid- to upper 80s, which is close to normal. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Any showers quickly fade and, eventually, mostly clear skies take over. It may be our only chance to see a few of the Perseid meteors, whose shower peaks this weekend. Winds are calm and lows are mostly in the mid- to upper 60s in the outlying areas and low 70s downtown. Confidence: High

Tomorrow (Friday): Mostly sunny skies dominate but clouds pop up later in the afternoon. Winds are nearly calm. Highs top out in the mid- to upper 80s, typical for the date. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: A stray shower can’t be ruled out in the evening, but most areas stay dry despite increasing clouds across the area. Lows settle in the mid-60s to low 70s. Confidence: Medium

A LOOK AHEAD

Saturday and Sunday are mostly cloudy as an upper air disturbance stalls over the Appalachians. Showers are likely, with a few thunderstorms possible in the afternoon. Highs are held down to the low to mid-80s, with overnight lows in the mid-60s to low 70s. Confidence: Medium-High

Monday/Tuesday fail to break the cycle, with more showers likely and a few afternoon thunderstorms possible. Highs are still mainly in the low to mid-80s. Confidence: Medium

David StreitDavid Streit grew up on a farm/ranch in Nebraska. Witness to severe weather of all varieties focused his career path. Degrees from the universities of Nebraska and Wisconsin prepared him to be a forecaster for Capital Weather Gang as well as his day job as COO of Commodity Weather Group. Follow